Just having a show that dealt with a rocket startup would have the same problem as The Cape. It would be far to limiting. A TV show needs to have endless story potential. There was a lot of drama with the Spaceship One launch, but I doubt you could have spun it out into a TV series. Movie yes. TV show no.

Only if you demand that every episodes main storyline be directly and always about space. However, if you take the appoarch that many of the storylines will not just be about space, and make it an arc, you aren't stuck with those problems.

Look at West Wing, or at LA Law, or Murphy Brown - Those shows were about a group of people positioned at a place of work. This would be the same sort of show. The key is not trying to make the show about space, but make it about people at a particular company.

A good chunk, if not most, of the show would be the usual stuff about relationships, ie who is sleeping with who, betrayl (this would really come into play for the sisters) and other non-space stuff

What you suggest is what they did with the Cape. It only lasted one season. Have a look at Numbers. They managed to make a mathematician a hero. Every episode has the mixture of action, real maths , and character development. It even has the three story classical characters.

Another show with scientists as heros: the CSI s. Big hits down here. Lots of human relationships stuff but the job is the focus of the show.

ta

Ralph

PS

You think West Wing is not preachy!!?? An alternative universe show with a saintly Democrat pseudo Bill Clinton !!

What you suggest is what they did with the Cape. It only lasted one season. Have a look at Numbers. They managed to make a mathematician a hero. Every episode has the mixture of action, real maths , and character development. It even has the three story classical characters.

Another show with scientists as heros: the CSI s. Big hits down here. Lots of human relationships stuff but the job is the focus of the show.

ta

Ralph

PS

You think West Wing is not preachy!!?? An alternative universe show with a saintly Democrat pseudo Bill Clinton !!

Well, no, actually, I never felt West Wing was preachy, but then, given I am a democrat, thats probably to be expected

I guess my main problem is, at least from what I know of CSI (which I will admit isn't much, so if I am wrong, sorry) is that its a non-arc show, and A) I much prefer an arc show and B) I don't think a non-arc show can work.

I was thinking about how to help sell space to the average person, and a thought hit me - what about doing a drama based on a fictional company thats pursuing space? I know this was kinda tried in the 90s, with Nasa and the television show The Cape, but I think people would be more receptive to this (Maybe I am being delusional, but I think they would).

Sorry to hijack your thread, but, I keep seeing this theme in alot of posts. In my opinion, if you want to sell space to the average person, get out into the community and affect the most influentioal component. The rest will follow.

Who, you may ask is THE most influential componet of society?

Children. Yup, you read that right. Children are the reason parents have to eat the dreck an McDonalds. Children are the reson parents drag their asses al over the country at ungodly times to take them to sports activities.

I suggest that instead of a T.V. show that will appeal to us, we get off our collective asses and join a rocketry club or an astronomy club or whatever floats your boat. Then get kids from your neighbourhood, church scouts/guides etc. get them excited and involved at the grass roots level.

I believe it will be nearly impossible to gets adults excited if they're not already excited. Seeing a show on T.V. ain't gonna cut it. . . But Kids, now that's an entirely different animal. Make it exciting, stir their immaginations and make it hands on. Flying a model rocket or peering into the deep space at the rings of Saturn.

Just having a show that dealt with a rocket startup would have the same problem as The Cape. It would be far to limiting. A TV show needs to have endless story potential. There was a lot of drama with the Spaceship One launch, but I doubt you could have spun it out into a TV series. Movie yes. TV show no.

Here is my proposal.

Three astronauts get kicked out of NASA . They think they have treated badly by NASA but instead of fighting NASA decide to get back at NASA by showing them up.

The three astronauts are 1) An older experianced pilot astronaut who has been into space several times.2) A younger, hot shot pilot who has never been in space and3) a scientist mission specialist who has flown on the ISS

...Ralph

Hereâ€™s an alternative. Three Astronauts, two of them are women. They start fighting over the guy â€¦ OOPS! That ones been done hasnâ€™t it!

What I was actually thinking about is that many people watch documentary TV, and arenâ€™t into fiction formulas.

The history channel, NOVA, Discovery channel, etc. do OK.

These donâ€™t have the big bucks advertisers, but the presence of such advertisers doesnâ€™t actually bring money for PROJECTS, just for popular actors. Few programs will spend more than $100,000 to make something interesting happen for a show segment.

Sponsors, not program advertisers, put the big money into auto racing teams. They could draw eyeballs to their speeding billboards just as well on PBS screens. And spaceships go a LOT faster than INDYCARS!

The problem rpspeck is that we've already done the documentary route - we've tapped most of those people to see the potential of space - How many of us have seen Discovery's Black Sky? Or Horizon's Space Tourism show?

We need to tap other people, who don't watch Discovery or Nova. Further, we need something that happens weekly rather than the one time event that usually is a documentary. People didn't watch shows like West Wing or Sunset Strip to learn about politics or comedy shows - they watch them for character dramas - yet both of those shows are telling about thie industry.

Since this thread started theres been at least one such Space TV show, the BBC production Rocketman.

The premise is that a group of amateurs, unemployed train builders, construct a sub orbital rocket to launch the ashes of their leaders wife into space. A highly enjoyable comedy-drama with pretty good science. I don't
know if it made it into the USA yet but if does do try to see it.

The problem with Salvage 1 is two fold - First, it was science fiction - the fuel in it was unobtainum (ok, they didn't call it that, but effectively) and secondly, it was intended as a Comedy show (at least, thats how I've always seen it), and the premise was kind of hooky, IMHO. The Show I envision would be entrerly real.

I haven't seen rocket man, so I can't really comment, but I have my suspicions that its not what I have in mind. Because, realistically, what happens when he finally launches her ashes? And there are other reasons I'd question it. That said, I'd be willing to watch it, at least once, IF it were in the states (sorry, I can't go to Britian just for a TV show - hell, right now I can't go to britain period)

It has probably been said, but the problem with something like this is simply the secrecy surrounding such projects. Not because they like secrecy, but coorprorate espionage would be very simple then. I don't think Burt Rutan was very fond of the crew who made the Black Sky series. You can, however, release the episodes if it's no longer a secret. But that would loose the whole reality-part.

Why would secrecy be a problem for a drama? It might be a problem for a documentry but I can't see it beingan issue for a fictional show. There is enough going on in the public domain to be the source material for a never ending series.

ta

Ralph

Stefan Sigwarth wrote:

It has probably been said, but the problem with something like this is simply the secrecy surrounding such projects. Not because they like secrecy, but coorprorate espionage would be very simple then. I don't think Burt Rutan was very fond of the crew who made the Black Sky series. You can, however, release the episodes if it's no longer a secret. But that would loose the whole reality-part.

MMkkay, i know what you are saying, but i though we're talking about a reality-show here. If we're not, well then secrecy isnt a problem at all, thats for sure. But then it wouldn't be a reality show. Or could you/they really make a reality show without showing anything which is corporate-sensitive (so to speak)?

I wish we could email those guys who made the Black Sky documentary. Maybe they have some bright insights.

Stefan, if you go back and read the original proposal that I made, it was for a drama fictional show, based on a fictional company, and what happens to that company.

So the original idea wouldn't be a reality show at all (I think this is the best idea, and have no problem saying so, and even have some characters and plot lines mapped out - anyone interested, I'll post it)

However, a few other people have suggested alternatives to my show idea. WannabeSpaceCadet's suggestion is the most recent, which would be a reality show. As for making it work, Armadillo operates a lot more in the open than most other companies. That said, I am not convinced they would sign up for that kind of a show.